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What Can We Learn From Our Fathers?

I decided to interview my Father at the weekend just to find out what advice he would give somebody who was just starting out on their career ladder. My dad is retired now and very wise, and his response was really interesting.

“Firstly, you need a good education behind you. You need to read a lot and learn. Concentrate and listen – take everything in. You must organise yourself and have discipline in your life. Most importantly, pursue your dreams and aim for the top. What do you want to do? What are you good at? What do you enjoy most? Once you’ve established the answers the rest is easy – don’t give up until you have your dream.”

I wonder how many people who are just starting out in their career adventure would appreciate advice like this? We’ve put together our key points on what you need to know to achieve in the workplace:-

Work hard and it will pay off. Nothing will ever be handed to you on a silver platter. If you want that dream job you need to put the work in. In the words of Sir Alan Sugar “I started from nothing….There’s no reason on this God’s earth why someone else can’t do it in this day and age either”.

Master your trade. Recognise your skills and use them. Go for a career that uses you to your full potential.

Listen and learn. Take everything in and learn from others. Attend training courses and read articles that relate to your line of work. Follow influencers on social media and listen to their advice. It will benefit you in the long run.

Never give up. Have determination and passion. Believe in yourself and others will too. We all learn by our mistakes so if you fail at something – try again. Don’t lose hope.

And finally, do what makes you happy. You must enjoy work otherwise there is no point in being there. Sir Richard Branson once said “My general attitude to life is to enjoy every minute of every day. I never do anything with a feeling of, ‘Oh God, I’ve got to do this today.’”

And words from the man himself? Our Managing Director, Craig Burton, tells us “Nobody in the history of the universe ever got a pay rise, a promotion or a new opportunity by turning up for work late. Be there on time, or a little bit early. All the most successful people I’ve ever met in my career get to work early. So the best tip I could give any young person starting out at a new workplace is get there on time, if not get there a little bit early if you can!”